Catch Me If You Can BROADWAY REVIEWS

NY TIMES

AP

VARIETY

HR

NEWSDAY

Opening Night:

April 10, 2011

Closing:

September 4, 2011

Theater: Neil Simon Theatre / 250 West 52nd Street, New York, NY,

Synopsis:

The unlikely adventures of a young man who creates an astonishing array of identities - airline pilot, doctor, lawyer - none of which he has any qualifications for. Based on the Paramount Pictures film and the autobiography by Frank Abagnale Jr. and Stan Redding.

NEW YORK TIMES REVIEW OF Catch Me If You Can

Scamming as Fast as He Can

BEN BRANTLEY

April 10, 2011: As befits a lad of the 1960s with a talent for smooth come-ons, Frank Abagnale Jr. prefaces the story of his life with the promise that it will have “more curves than a Playboy bunny.” But as presented in the new musical “Catch Me if You Can,” which opened Sunday night at the Neil Simon Theater, this portrait of the con artist as a young man (portrayed by Aaron Tveit) seems to consist mostly of straight lines, like the kind you use to connect the dots in picture puzzles.

ASSOCIATED PRESS REVIEW OF Catch Me If You Can

April 10, 2011: New Broadway shows this spring are lousy with cads. There's J. Pierrepont Finch in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," Harry Brock in "Born Yesterday" and pretty much all the dudes in "That Championship Season." With the hero of "Catch Me If You Can," add one more scoundrel.

VARIETY REVIEW OF Catch Me If You Can

April 10, 2011: In "Catch Me If You Can" -- the new musical based on the 2002 Steven Spielberg film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks -- teenaged conman Frank Abagnale Jr. recounts his daring escapades in the format of a 1960s TV spectacular; each step in crime is shown as a perky-but-flat variety-show production number. That's the conceit of the new tuner, and the problem as well. Impressive star performances from Norbert Leo Butz and Aaron Tveit, a lively production, the best sounding new music currently on Broadway -- all built around a succession of glossily frenetic, non-compelling production numbers.

HOLLYWOOD REPORTER REVIEW OF Catch Me If You Can

NEWSDAY REVIEW OF Catch Me If You Can

April 10, 2011: News that the guys from "Hairspray" and "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" were making a musical based on the movie "Catch Me If You Can" raised a couple of intriguing -- also daunting -- questions. How? And why?

AM NEW YORK REVIEW OF Catch Me If You Can

April 10, 2011: "Catch Me If You Can," the eagerly anticipated Broadway musical based on the breezy 2002 Leonardo DiCaprio film, is a product of essentially the same creative team behind the mega-hit "Hairspray." It's even playing in the same theater as "Hairspray" and shares an early 1960s setting.

CHICAGO TRIBUNE REVIEW OF Catch Me If You Can

April 10, 2011: The key to turning "Catch Me If You Can" into a Broadway musical was within the very title of the 2002 Steven Spielberg movie that served as the source. It encapsulates the thrill of the chase, a quality sadly lacking in the show that opened Sunday night at the Neil Simon Theatre. And it conveys the slippery charm of the lovable trickster rogue -- in this case, Frank Abagnale Jr., the youthful master forger of those predigital swinging '60s, a guy who fooled banks and airlines but was eventually brought down by his own need for love.

USA TODAY REVIEW OF Catch Me If You Can

'Catch Me' doesn't capture art of the con

Elysa Gardner

April 10, 2011: Frank Abagnale Jr., the former con artist whose memoir inspired a Steven Spielberg movie, managed to pass himself off as an airline pilot, a pediatrician and an attorney before turning 21. One feat that Abagnale did not attempt was writing and starring in a stage musical about his youthful adventures. And now we know why.

NEW YORK POST REVIEW OF Catch Me If You Can

Clumsy 'Catch' fumbles

Elisabeth Vincentelli

April 10, 2011: It reunites most of the creative team from "Hairspray," boasts energetic '60s music and a fantastic performance by Norbert Leo Butz. It even has leggy chorus girls in small skirts and big hair. Yet "Catch Me If You Can" flounders. How is that possible?

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS REVIEW OF Catch Me If You Can

'Catch Me If You Can' Broadway musical fails to deliver feel-good entertainment in lackluster show

Joe Dziemianowicz

April 10, 2011: It's true that inside every chunky person is a slim one trying to bust out. Same goes for "Catch Me If You Can," a new Broadway musical that is tasty but buried under empty calories. How can you fly with excess baggage?

DidHeLikeIt.com is your official guide and translator for all the Broadway theatre reviews by Ben Brantley, the chief theatre critic for the New York Times. At DidHeLikeIt.com you can find out if He liked a show or not with a quick glance of the Ben-o-meter! We also use the Ben-o-meter for all of the other prominent publications such as New York Daily News,Newsday, USA Today, Variety, and more!

And now with the new Did He Like It App we'll send you push notifications every time a new Broadway review comes out. Never be out of the loop again! To download the Did He Like It App, click here.